UPDATE at October 22, 7.30 AM | POWER has now been restored to more than 1600 homes and businesses following a mass outage on the Gold Coast.

Thousands of properties were left in darkness across the city, mainly in Elanora, Currumbin Waters and Yatala, after wild weather lashed the coast on Sunday afternoon.

More than 40mm of rain fell in Coolangatta in just one hour, while more than 70mm was recorded at Mount Tamborine and a whopping 83mm at North Tamborine.

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The storm was so severe it forced officials to call off the final day of the Gold Coast 600. Heavy rain and lightning made its mark on the famous Surfers Paradise track, making it unsafe for drivers to continue their laps.

Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the weather is going to be easing anytime soon either, with showers predicted for the coast every day for the next week.

Additional reporting by Shanee Dobeson.

EARLIER at October 21, 5:00 PM | THE Gold Coast 600 has been abandoned as heavy rain and lightning lash the track.

The wild weather forced officials to suspend the race twice before race director Tim Schenken called it off entirely about 4.25pm. Just 43 of the 102 laps had been completed.

It comes as a line of severe storms smashed into the city about 2.30pm, just minutes after the big race began.

At the time of writing, more than 1,600 homes and businesses were without power across the Gold Coast, mainly in Elanora and Currumbin Waters, and at Yatala.

More than 70mm of rain was recorded at Mount Tamborine, 42mm of which fell in just 15 minutes.

The Gold Coast was removed from the detailed severe thunderstorm warning at 4:51pm, with the Bureau of Metorology advising the threat of severe storms had passed in the city.

The remnants of this afternoon’s monster storm had moved off shore and was pushing out to sea at 5:00pm.

The warning remained current, however, for Noosa and parts of Gympie and the South Burnett and Sunshine Coast areas.

The weather bureau warns storms near Noosa Heads and Proston are forecast to affect the ranges south of Gayndah by 5:15 pm and the area north of Goomeri, the area south of Biggenden and the area north of Kilkivan by 5:45 pm.

Damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones are likely.

Elsewhere, wind gusts in excess of 100km/h uprooted trees and down powerlines as the storms tore through Toowoomba, west of Brisbane shortly before 1.30pm.

Hail up to 3cm wide fell at near Boonah, while golf ball size hail was reported at Aspley, in Brisbane’s north.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:

Move your car under cover or away from trees.

Secure loose outdoor items.

Never drive, walk or ride through flood waters. If it’s flooded, forget it.

UPDATE at 4:10 PM | THE weather bureau has updated its severe thunderstorm warning for Redland City, Noosa and parts of Gympie, Western Downs, South Burnett, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane City Council Areas.

It warns severe storms are currently active near Maroochydore, Cleveland, Caloundra, the area southwest of Caloundra, waters off Caloundra and Lake Boondooma.

These storms are moving east to northeast and are forecast to affect Noosa Heads, Gympie, the area south of Gympie, the area northwest of Noosa Heads, the area southeast of Gympie and the area east of Gympie by 4:35 pm and the area north of Noosa Heads, the area northeast of Gympie, Lake Cootharaba, Lake Cooloola, Goomboorian and Toolara Forest by 5:05 pm.

Damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones are likely.

UPDATE at 3:10 PM | HAILSTONES the size of golf balls have fallen on Brisbane’s northside, while almost 60mm of rain has fallen at Ipswich in the space of just 30 minutes as severe thunderstorms lash southeast Queensland.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns severe storms capable of producing damaging winds, heavy rain and hail are likely to continue to lash the region for the next several hours.

They’re moving towards the east and are forecast to affect Coolangatta, Beenleigh, Cleveland, Redcliffe, Caboolture and the area northeast of Kingaroy by 3:35 pm and Maroochydore, Caloundra, the area south of Noosa Heads, the area southwest of Noosa Heads, the area west of Noosa Heads and the area northwest of Noosa Heads by 4:05 pm.

The bureau warns damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones are likely.

The storms developed out west and intensified as they moved through the Darling Downs and Scenic Rim.

A 106km/h wind gust was reported at Toowoomba at 1:20pm while 90km/h gusts were recorded at Oakey and Gatton.

Hail up to 3cm wide fell at near Boonah, while golf ball size hail was reported at Aspley, in Brisbane’s north.

Meanwhile, Bundamba in Ipswich recorded 56mm of rain in the space of just 30 minutes.

The bureau warns that, at 2:35 pm, severe storms were active near Ipswich, Esk, the area west of Kilcoy, Somerset Dam, Toogoolawah, Lake Somerset, Greenbank, the McPherson Range and Border Ranges National Park.

They are moving towards the northeast to southeast and are forecast to affect Brisbane CBD, Beenleigh, Logan City, Strathpine, Kilcoy and Mount Kilcoy by 3:05 pm and Coolangatta, Cleveland, Redcliffe, Caboolture, Maleny and Conondale by 3:35 pm.

These storms are capable of producing damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones.

UPDATE at 2:25 PM | SEVERE thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding and large hailstones are about to lash the Gold Coast.

They are expected to envelop the entire Coast within the hour. The Bureau of Meteorology has urged residents to move their cars under cover or away from trees and to secure loose outdoor items.

Source: Weatherzone

UPDATE at 2:10 PM | THE Bureau of Meteorology has updated its severe thunderstorm warning as a cluster of severe cells edges closer towards the Coast.

The weather bureau warns these storms are moving towards the east and are forecast to affect Brisbane CBD, Beenleigh, Logan City, Esk, the area northwest of Esk and the area south of Kingaroy by 2:35 pm.

Coolangatta, Cleveland, Strathpine, Kilcoy, the area west of Kilcoy and Jimna are expected to be hit by 3:05 pm.

The weather bureau warns the storms are capable of producing damaging winds stronger than 90km/h, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and hailstones larger than 2cm wide.

UPDATE at 1:50 PM | THE Bureau of Meteorology has updated its severe thunderstorm warning, advising the storms have now taken a more easterly path and are headed straight for the Coast.

At this stage, they are forecast to hit Brisbane CBD, Laidley, Gatton, the area west and southwest of Esk and Cooyar by 2:10 pm and Ipswich, Boonah, Strathpine, Esk, Kingaroy and the area west of Kingaroy by 2:40 pm.

The weather bureau warns the storms are capable of producing damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hail. A 106kn/h wind gust was recorded at Toowoomba at 1:20pm, while hailstones 2-3cm wide were reported at Boonah.

A more general warning is current for the southeast, including the Gold Coast, with the weather bureau warning storms could produce damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail anywhere in the warning area over the next few hours.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns that, at 1:30 pm, severe thunderstorms were detected near Toowoomba, Dalby, Fernvale and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

These storms are moving towards the east-northeast and are forecast to affect Beaudesert, the area north of Toowoomba, Albany Creek, the D’Aguilar Ranges, Lake Samsonvale and Bell by 2:00 pm.

They are then forecast to go on to affect Boonah, Laidley, Gatton, Strathpine, Redcliffe and Bunya Mountains by 2:30 pm.

A 106kn/h wind gust was recorded at Toowoomba at 1:20pm, while hailstones 2-3cm wide were reported at Boonah.

UPDATE at 1:30 PM | THE Bureau of Meteorology has updated its severe thunderstorm warning to include the Gold Coast as storms intensify on the Darling Downs and along the Scenic Rim.

Issued at 1:22pm, the new warning covers the Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and parts of Ipswich, Logan, Somerset, Southern Downs, Western Downs, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Brisbane City and Moreton Bay Council Areas.

Severe storms have been detected near Dalby, the area between Boonah and Beaudesert, the area southwest of Toowoomba, the area southeast of Dalby, southern Lake Wivenhoe, Bowenville, Lowood and the NSW border.

These storms are moving towards the east to northeast and are forecast to affect Beaudesert, Toowoomba, the area northwest of Toowoomba, and the area east, north and northeast of Dalby by 1:55 pm.

They are then forecast to hit Gatton, Strathpine, Redcliffe, Caboolture, and the area north of Toowoomba and Bell.

The weather bureau warns damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones will be likely.

A 106kn/h wind gust was recorded at Toowoomba at 1:20pm. A 91km/h gust was reported at Oakey 10 minutes earlier.

UPDATE at 12:20 PM | A GENERAL severe thunderstorm warning has just been issued for Southeast Queensland.

Issued at 12:15pm, the warning covers parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett, Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast.

The weather bureau says storms are already developing across the southeast and will extend east through the afternoon and evening.

Cells were detected on weather radar developing near Boonah in the Scenic Rim, about 70km west of the Gold Coast, at 12:30pm.

Some storms will have the potential to become severe and produce damaging winds and large hailstones, the weather bureau warns.

At this stage, locations which may be affected include Warwick, Toowoomba, Dalby, Stanthorpe, Kingaroy, Ipswich, Gatton, Cherbourg, Oakey, Lowood, Nanango and Tara.

FIRST on SUNDAY | THE Gold Coast could be lashed by a storm or two this afternoon as the city is treated to an early taste of summer.

The tourist strip was sun-soaked on Saturday following a week of wet and wild weather across southeast Queensland.

Clouds cleared making way for a stunning spring day in Surfers, with the mercury rising to a warm 26 degrees.

Locals, tourists and revved up V8 fans keen for the final day of action at the Gold Coast 600 woke to milder, overcast conditions this morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology says thunderstorms could lash the Coast later this afternoon, some of which forecasters warn could become severe.

A surface trough and moist and unstable airmass is forecast to combine with an upper level trough moving over the area to generate showers and storms.

The weather bureau warms any storms that do develop will have the potential to produce damaging winds and large hailstones.

Jaydan is a Digital News Producer at myGC.com.au. He was appointed Managing Editor of the Junee Southern Cross newspaper at the age of 17 and has since held positions in a number of newsrooms in New South Wales and Queensland. Jaydan joined the Hot Tomato Broadcasting Company in 2013 and has been keeping the Gold Coast up to date with the latest local, national and international news online at myGC.com.au ever since. With almost ten years’ experience in both print and digital media Jaydan is committed to providing the best coverage during major news and weather events.

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